This wikiHow teaches you how to charge a PlayStation 3 controller with the console-provided charger cable.

Steps

Part 1

Charging Your PS3 Controller

1

Press your PlayStation 3's power switch. You'll find it on the right side of the PS3's front, though early PS3 models may have the power switch on the back of the console instead. Doing this will turn on your PS3.

2

Locate your controller's charger cable. Your PS3 should have come with a USB cable to charge your controller; it has a large end, which is the USB plug, and a small end, which plugs into your PS3 controller.

If you don't have a PS3 charger cable, you can purchase a new one from Amazon.

Make sure you're using an original Sony charger and not a third-party charger, since non-Sony cables have been proven to be inconsistent.

3

Plug the USB end of the charger into your PS3. It should slide into one of the narrow, rectangular slots on the front of your PS3.

If the USB end isn't fitting into the PS3's port, rotate the USB end 180 degrees and try it again.

The piece of plastic inside of the USB cable needs to fit below the piece of plastic at the top of the USB slot on your PS3.

4

Plug the narrow end of the charger into your PS3 controller. There is a small slot on the front of the PS3 controller; this is where the cable plugs into.

5

Press the controller's power button. It's a circular button with the PlayStation logo on it. You should see a red light appear on the front of your controller.

6

Wait for the controller's light to begin blinking. Once it does, your PlayStation 3 controller is charging.

Leave your controller on the charger cable for at least an hour before disconnecting it.

Part 2

Troubleshooting Your PS3 Controller

1

Reset your PS3 controller. To do so, insert a pin or a paperclip into the small hole on the bottom of the controller, just below the L2 button.

2

Plug your controller into a different USB port on your PS3. If your controller isn’t charging, this will help determine whether or not the USB port is causing problems.

3

Plug your controller into a computer's USB port and turn it on. While you can't charge a PS3 controller on a computer, your controller will still light up if you press its power button while it is attached to a computer. If the controller doesn't light up, the problem is with the cable.

4

Use a different charger cable. In some cases, the problem may lie with a faulty or defective USB cord.[1]

Third-party USB cables often don't work with PlayStation technology, so if you buy a new cable, make sure it's from Sony.

Community Q&A

I don't see a red light on my controller. How do I know when it's done charging?

wikiHow Contributor

If your PS3 Dual-Shock 3 is plugged in with the provided cord, you will know it is fully charged when there is no flashing of the red lights at all; there will either be a solid light or no light at all. If you're not seeing a light on, it's probably charged.

If this question (or a similar one) is answered twice in this section, please click here to let us know.

Tips

You can continue to play games and use the PS3 controller while it charges, but you will need to keep the controller plugged into the console via the USB cable to maintain a charge until the controller is fully charged.

To check the current battery level on your PS3 controller, press and hold down the PlayStation logo button on the controller for at least two seconds. The current battery charge level will display briefly on your television or computer screen.

Warnings

The PS3 controller will only charge if the PS3 console is powered on. If the controller is plugged into the console, but the console is powered off, your controller will not charge.